[b][center]Hector's Quarters[/b][/center] ---- With a yawn and a stretch, Hector sat up in his cot and greeted the small sliver of sun peeking in through his solitary quarters. He looked at his watch and frowned, tapping on the glass. In the night it had frozen at 1:37. He tossed the watch to the side and continued on with his day. He pulled on his boots and laced them up tightly, then stood and pulled on the same shirt he had worn for months. Supplies were low, and he wanted to make sure that all of the men in his ranks were clothed. Anyways, his shirt only had a few stains and only one small hole in it. It was hardly as battered as it would have been considered a year ago. He smirked at the little thought and borrowed a better working watch from one of his men. “Five A.M. sharp,” he murmured to himself before heading to his office. For an hour he listened to debriefings on patrols and other missions he had running while he was asleep. A knock on the door let him know that it was six, meaning that his men were right on the dot with the sign-up sheets for the new hosts. “Come in,” he said before gesturing for the Mercenary that had been debriefing him to be dismissed. He smiled at the Mercenaries that brought the sign-ups in. “Good morning, men. You’re right on time.” “Here are the sign-up sheets, like you asked, sir,” Lucas, a tall, blonde Merc, said as he handed Hector the folder. Hector took them, pulling the sign-up sheets out before setting the folder down on the surviving desk. “Ay dios mio,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think this many would sign up.” He read through the sign-ups, chuckling and shaking his head as he saw Raeven’s winky face. “I have to say, all of these abilities are impressive. Spirit manipulation? Telepathy? What is this- ¡escuchan! – [i]human[/i] explosive? The military won’t know what hit them!” He grinned, reading over the sign-up sheets again. His two men only blinked in disbelief, glancing at each other. “Will that be all, sir?” Lucas asked. Hector only nodded, still preoccupied with reading, re-reading, and re-re-reading the sign-up sheets again. “Yes, gracias.” The two men smiled at each other before leaving Hector to his work. After a busy morning, Hector eagerly awaited the training session. With such extraordinary abilities, he was hoping that these hosts had also learned to fight while they were gone. If anything, he wanted them to learn to fight in order to keep themselves safe from harm. He sat down at the PA system desk in the meeting room and checked his watch, watching as the display read 9:00 A.M. With a quick clearing of his throat, he pressed the button on the microphone and broadcasted his voice across the base. “All trainees must report to the training grounds. I repeat, all trainees to the training grounds,” he said before releasing the button. ---- Hector walked onto the platform at the training grounds and looked out among the hundred or so trainees waiting for their instructions. “Today you will be put through four stations that will test your abilities and teach you skills that every Golden Mercenary in this base knows by heart,” he began, his deep voice spreading throughout the training grounds, letting everyone hear him. “For all of the hosts, you will not be able to use the abilities your kage gives you through the whole training session. You will be able to use your abilities in a later training session. This session begins as soon as I am done explaining, and ends at 5 P.M. The only breaks you are allowed are water breaks. If you complete all four stations that you will be divided into by the four men by the platform, you will begin again until you are finished at 5. After that, all non-hosts are allowed to eat. All hosts must remain afterwards. “Station one is for physical fitness and cardiovascular endurance,” he said, pointing towards the sign with a one on it. “Here you will be running, jogging, doing jumping jacks, and jumping rope. There is a trail that runs through a small forest in this sector where you can run or jog.” He moved on, pointing towards the sign with a two on it. “Station two is physical fitness! Here you will improve your strength by lifting weights and other physical activities.” Hector watched the crowd, noticing the cogs begin to turn in their minds. “Station three is for basic combat maneuvering. Here you will learn how to duck and cover, read battlefield orders, and move as a unit.” He moved to point at station four. “Station four is for GMMAT, which stands for Golden Mercenary Martial Arsenal Training. Here you will learn key fighting styles involved in hand-to-hand combat.” Hector took a deep breath, watching as all heads turned back from the stations to look at him. “Make sure you take this training seriously and don’t over-exert yourself in the beginning! As you go on with training, it will become harder and harder. So, for now, just see what you are capable of doing and begin to push yourself further throughout training. Your capability in our ranks depends on your improvement in all four stations. Good luck, future Mercenaries.”